DISCLAIMER: I do not own Degrassi, nor am I affiliated with Epitome.

A/N: This story is the result of power outage, hospital waiting rooms, and boredom. A lot of it was written on mobile, on separate occasions, so I'm sorry in advance if the story sounds disconnected at times. I hope it's good anyway.

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Tolerated

The walk to her house was chilling. He knew it shouldn't have been since the weather proved that summertime was soon approaching. For the past few weeks, skies held a constant shade of blue, trees started to bud, and grass transformed into a greener hue. There were obvious signs of warmer weather, but the minute Adam read Becky's vague text message, his surroundings seemed to turn cold.

As he walked, Adam kept glancing at the phone in his hand; the message still sprawled on the screen: Adam, come to my house asap! He asked her why but she brushed him off and told him to simply go to her house. He was confused. Not because of the cryptic message but because of where she wanted them to meet. Ever since Becky's parents found out about him being transgender, he had never felt welcome in that house.

The last time Adam was in the Baker household both of her parents were home, and they were ordered to stay in the living room to keep an eye on him. He remembered how Mrs. Baker gave him hateful side-glances from the corner of the room, and the searing glare Luke gave him when he saw Adam on the couch. Her father had only allowed him to stay for an hour before he shamelessly kicked the boy out by making an excuse about Becky needing to do her homework in peace. The situation was ridiculous since Adam knew very well that his girlfriend had no work to do that day. They really wanted him out of their home and they made no effort to hide that fact.

From that moment on, he and Becky shared an unspoken agreement for Adam to avoid entering her house until her family reacted less coldly toward him. Though it saddened him that he couldn't be in that part of Becky's life, he was grateful to her for understanding the difficulty he had with being around her family. Because of this, they usually spent time together at his house. Whether it was after school, after their dates, or any time they wanted to be together, they would spend it at his house.

Becky had spent so much time at the Torres residence that Adam's family automatically expected her to be there whenever he was home. It had gotten to the point where Becky would know where every single object in her boyfriend's room was supposed to be. She knew the system behind Adam's carefully alphabetized collection of comic books, and how his collectibles had to be kept in their original plastic wrapping to have some value. She knew how he always chucked his schoolbag in the same corner where he his bass guitar and amp could be found, which was the opposite corner from where he usually kept his pile of dirty socks. Suffice it to say that Becky would be able to navigate around Adam's room without disturbing the way it already was.

When Becky told him to meet at her house without so much as an explanation, Adam immediately started thinking of the worst possible scenarios. Had she fallen down the stairs and needed his help? Did he do something wrong? What if her parents had gotten to her again and he was invited over for a conversation to end their relationship? What if she agreed to go on another reparative therapy session, finally realizing she had made a mistake? If it wasn't any of that, then why else would she deliberately invite him over when she knew he was uncomfortable being there? Whatever it was, then it must have been urgent, or else she wouldn't be intentionally causing him unnecessary anxiety.

He had three blocks left before he reached her house, but his legs froze as realization started to settle in his mind. Soon he would be stepping into the Baker house, and he wasn't ready for that. Adam prided himself on tackling obstacles with calm and ease, but in reality, under his easygoing exterior laid a boy who still fought demons of insecurity. Those issues always resurfaced whenever he was in the presence of any of the Bakers, with the exception of Becky, of course. It wasn't just that her parents didn't accept him and his relationship with their daughter. It was mostly about how Adam wanted them to finally embrace the reality of their situation in order for Becky to never feel torn again. He knew how much Becky cherished her family, and how she had to live a double life ever since they were officially a couple. Adam wanted that weight off her shoulders, because deep down, he blamed himself for the darkness that kept threatening the joy away from his girl.

Adam stood on the sidewalk, hypnotized by the thoughts consuming his mind. He was brought back to reality when he felt vibration in his hand. It was a new message from Becky: Where are you? Instead of replying, Adam resorted to walking faster and shaking off the thoughts. If his girlfriend really needed him at her house for whatever reason, then he would have to be strong and face the Bakers even if it didn't please him.

Once there, he stood by the front door with his finger in mid-air, ready to ring the doorbell, but yelped in shock as the door opened to reveal a brightly smiling Becky with her arms up and ready to engulf him in a hug.

"Adam! What took you so long?" She detached herself from him and hooked their arms together guiding them into the house.

"I… I guess I wasn't walking as fast as I thought." He said, not wanting to worry her with his thoughts.

"Oh. You should have let me know, silly. I've been waiting by the stairs ever since you said you were on your way."

"Sorry. So uh… Why did need me here?" Adam whispered, realizing they were inside and didn't want her parents to hear him. "Maybe I should stay outside? Aren't your parents home?" He pulled back from Becky's grasp, wanting to stay by the door to keep his escape route near.

Becky gave him a mischievous smile and ran the tips of her fingers along the side of his arm, reaching down to capture his hand in hers. "They left last night to visit Nana Rosie back in Florida."

"You're home alone?" Adam's eyes and lips simultaneously widened and finally allowed Becky to lead him upstairs. "We're alone here, right now?" She nodded and continued to lead a seemingly befuddled Adam up the flight of stairs and into her room.

"We're not really alone yet. Luke is still in his room but he said something about leaving soon. So, yes we will be alone at some point." Becky grinned and plopped onto her bed, gesturing Adam to follow her. "I thought we could spend the day together here, since we're always at your house."

Adam was reeling from the spur of information being thrown towards him. Becky's parents were away. They were going to be alone at his girlfriend's house, without any distraction from anyone. He was finally in Becky's room.

"Wait… I'm in your room. Your room. Becks, I've never been in your room before!"

Suddenly aware of his surroundings, Adam started walking around her room. Since he was never allowed to go in there, he could only imagine what it looked. The only thing he knew and was sure about her room was the custom-made headboard with carved flowers and angels on her bed. He'd seen it so many times from their Skype calls that he pretty much memorized the little details of the carved flowers.

This was different though. Adam was physically in her room instead of simply appearing on a screen. He was able to walk around and pick up little trinkets to examine them, or take a look at Becky's supply of neatly organized theatre books. He reveled in the stronger scent of vanilla emanating from every corner of the room, enjoying the aroma and feeling as if his girlfriend was hugging him without actually having her arms around him. He walked past a wall plastered with Polaroid pictures, some were of people he'd only heard about from stories, some were of the two of them, and some were scenic shots. Among the dozens of pictures on the wall, one caught his eye of a slightly younger Becky getting a piggy-back-ride from another blonde-haired girl. The caption on the picture was K+B = bffs. Adam assumed it to be Kelly, Becky's childhood best friend from Florida. The thought of probably meeting her someday caused his stomach to clench at the thought of a future with Becky. It was exciting and scary at the same time.

His eyes scaled Becky's wall until they landed on her bedside table, where a framed picture of the young couple could be found facing the bed where Becky currently sat. Becky watched as Adam picked up the frame and sat next to her.

"I'm actually in your room." He whispered, placing the picture back where he found it.

"Why are you whispering?"

"Force of habit? I keep thinking your parents are home and that your dad's gonna come in here and tell me to leave." He shrugged "And Luke is still here, so I'm just trying to be… careful."

"I'm sorry, Adam. They'll come around soon enough; at least, I hope so. I really want to have you over without having to wait for my parents to leave town for it to happen. I mean, I love spending time are your place, but sometimes I want you here too."

"Me too. I can't believe we've been together for months and this is the first time I get to physically be in your room. It's… Wow! We can actually do whatever we want in here! No parents and all." Adam exclaimed loudly, ejecting enthusiasm through his flailing arms. "I can't wait for the day your parents start accepting me because things would be so much easier."

"We just have to be patient and wait for their turn to see the same light that you made me see. I'm their daughter, after all. If I was able to slightly shift my views, I'm certain that my parents will be able to as well. But for now, we can take advantage of the time they're not here and do what we normally do at your house but in here instead." Becky smiled, refusing to let their newfound freedom go to waste with negative thinking. Adam got the hint and decided to just go along with it.

"You mean, like kiss on your bed," He leaned closer to her, "instead of mine?" He closed the gap between them and gently captured her lips in a chaste kiss. Adam pulled back right before Becky could respond.

"I meant watching movies, silly!" She blushed "But I don't mind your idea either."

Becky positioned herself to lie flat on the bed pulling Adam towards her by the collar of his shirt. Adam propped himself up with a hand while the other remained on her hip, gently caressing it as he slowly lowered himself to give her a more passionate kiss. This time, he allowed her to properly respond, and she gladly did.

Time seemed to stop as the two continued to keep themselves tangled with the other. Knowing that her parents weren't home, or that they weren't in his house with the possibility of getting caught by his mom, Adam allowed himself to be more daring than usual. He moved his hand up higher from her waist, slightly lifting her shirt in the process. The deeper their kisses got, the more he massaged the soft skin under his palm. He felt one of Becky's hands glide down his back and entered his back pocket pushing his lower half closer to her, while her other hand continued to stroke the small hairs on the back of his head. Adam let out a small groan when Becky started rubbing her lower half against his.

They had never really done this before. Most of their kisses were innocent, sweet, and reserved. The Torres household didn't allow enough privacy for them to share intimate moments such as this one. They were aware of this new territory they were crossing and Adam knew that when the moment was over, they would have to talk about it, but for now he simply relished the position they were currently in.

Even with though the new experience excited them both, Adam knew that one of them had to stop before things got too heated. Without removing his hand from her body, he lifted his head to look at her, wanting to make sure she was comfortable with their situation. Though no actual words were used to communicate her ease, Adam could see all the love emanating from her eyes; how her gentle orbs looked deeply into his to let him know that she was happy, and that she didn't regret what just happened.

Everything was calm and relaxing until sudden aggressive knocking rapped on Becky's door. Startled from the sound and forgetting their entwined limbs, Adam jolted up and away from Becky, causing the two of them to roll off the bed toward the floor. Becky shrieked in surprise while Adam merely groaned in pain, not just from the fall, but also for being the cushion his girlfriend landed on.

"Becky!" A low voice called from the back of the door. "I'm coming in, you better be dressed and—"

Luke Baker stood by the doorframe, staring at the tangled mess by his sister's bed. He glared toward Adam's direction, realizing that Becky wasn't alone in her room. "Torres." He said monotonously.

Adam unfolded himself from his girlfriend and stood up. He helped Becky to get back on her feet before paying attention to the taller boy. "Uh… Hey, Luke. What's up?"

With everything that just happened, Adam completely forgot about Luke's presence in the house. Now that they were all aware of the other's company, the mood quickly turned into an awkward one. Adam tried to remain confident, or at least look like it, so as not to show weakness towards his girlfriend's brother. Getting caught in this situation by one of the people he currently feared was definitely not at the top of his list of things to do. Luke seemed to be looking at Becky, but his stare was mostly directed toward something beyond her head. He knew what he had just walked in on, and he really didn't want to ever witness his innocent sister participating in such activities. Becky, on the other hand, looked to be unnaturally composed for the current situation. She nonchalantly straightened her top and walked towards her brother.

"Are you leaving soon?" She asked him, completely unfazed

"Y-yeah. I wanted to take the car but I can't find the keys." He looked around the room avoiding eye contact with his sister, but ended up looking at Adam instead. "I didn't know you had a friend over."

"Daddy said he left the keys on the dresser in their room. I'll go get them for you." She made her way out of the room and turned back to say, "Oh, and by the way Luke, my boyfriend is allowed to come over whenever he likes." With that, she turned on her heel and quickly left the two boys in her room.

Adam was shocked by the sudden change in his girlfriend's attitude. First, she invites him over knowing that her parents are away and they could have complete freedom. Then she somewhat initiated what could have been the most intimate moment they both experienced together. And now, she was openly defending his title as her boyfriend to her own brother. Adam wasn't used to anyone, let alone a girl, to defend him from her own family.

The realization left him in such a pleasant surprise that he didn't even dwell in the fact that he was stuck in Becky's room with her brother. Adam shifted in his spot and calmly said, "So. How've you been?"

Luke stared at the boy, unsure of how to respond. He looked back towards the hallway in the hopes that Becky found the keys and he wouldn't have to be forced to be in this situation. Ignoring Adam's question, Luke let his eyes drift to his sister's bed. The sheets were tousled, and more than half of the duvet hung limply to the side of the bed where he assumed the couple had fallen from. He looked at Adam again and finally let his thoughts out.

"I don't like you, and I don't like you dating my sister. But for some reason you've managed to make her happier than I've seen her since we moved here. Whatever you're doing keep doing it. Just know that if you hurt her, I know where you live." Luke nodded towards Adam, as if to say that he finally acknowledged his existence and the fact that he was in a relationship with Becky.

Adam let his mouth hang open, not quite sure what to say. He was taken out of his reverie when he heard Becky's footsteps coming closer. He shook himself and muttered a small "Okie doke." to the taller boy.

Becky appeared by the doorway and handed her brother the keys. She watched as Luke looked back at the other boy before quickly leaving them alone. "What was that all about?"

Adam linked his hands with Becky's and smiled widely, "I think your brother just made my day a whole lot better."

And it was true, spending time with his girlfriend at her house was something he didn't think would happen until after graduation. The idea of Luke somewhat telling him that he was okay with Adam being with Becky was even more of a far-fetched concept than being able to be at the Bakers without any parental supervision. Though Adam was still in a bit of shock with everything going on that day, all he really wanted was to be, if not accepted, then at least tolerated by the Bakers. Even if it wasn't from her parents and it was only Luke, it was enough for Adam to get hope that maybe someday, her parents will come around.

Thank you for reading!
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